


Steve Rogers’ Superheroically Tragic First Saturn Return [META]

by real_live_angelface



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Astrology, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Birth Chart, Does include some critique of Endgame and Steve's story arc past CA:TWS in general, Gen, Mentions of Stucky but also Steggy, Meta, Plus my own thoughts, Saturn Return, natal chart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:48:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23677924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/real_live_angelface/pseuds/real_live_angelface
Summary: I just re-watched CA:TFA with a friend and had a couple of realizations about the fact that Cap was 27 years old when he went into the ice. The first is that Steve Rogers, for a good part of the 20th century, could have been considered an early member of the 27 Club. The second is that since Steve Rogers actually didn’t die when he crashed into the ice, that means he experienced one of THE WORST Saturn Returns EVER.In this essay I will...
Kudos: 3





	Steve Rogers’ Superheroically Tragic First Saturn Return [META]

**Author's Note:**

> According to Wikipedia, a Saturn Return “is an astrological transit that occurs when the planet Saturn returns to the same place in the sky that it occupied at the moment of a person’s birth. While the planet may not reach the exact spot until the person is 29 or 30 years old, the influence of the Saturn return is considered to start in the person’s late twenties, notably the age of 27” (“Saturn Return”). In my understanding of it (and in my personal experience), this time of life sort of slingshots a person through a process of growth and maturation. It’s an opportunity for them to look hard at their life and make changes in order to unearth a new layer of self, deepening their understanding of who they really are.

Welp, I actually _did_ write an essay about this...

After realizing that Steve Rogers died (temporarily) during his first Saturn Return, I decided to look into his natal chart. I am not an expert in astrology, so I used Chani Nicholas’ excellent [birth chart calculator](https://chart.chaninicholas.com/) (and chose the Whole House system, if you’re keeping track of that kind of thing). I also used her book _You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance_ as a reference. I have chosen to use MLA format to cite my references, because I really, really don’t want to even get close to accidentally plagiarizing anyone.

Steve’s chart was run with the birth date of July 4, 1918 and the city as New York City. Normally if time of birth isn’t known, you’re supposed to enter 12PM, but in this case I goofed and entered 12AM. The results made so much sense that I decided not to change it.

All of my interpretations will be based on the MCU version of Steve Rogers because that is the version I am most familiar with. Also, it should be known that I am a Stucky shipper, but that’s not the main focus of this essay. Whether or not we’re talking platonic or romantic, canon or fanon, the relationship that Steve has with Bucky Barnes is undeniably one of the most foundational and influential relationships in his life, so it will be treated accordingly.

**Steve Rogers’ Birth Chart** from [chart.chaninicholas.com](https://chart.chaninicholas.com/).

Sun in Cancer in the 4th House  
Moon in Taurus in the 2nd House  
Rising (Ascendant) in Aries – Ruled by Mars in Libra in the 7th House  
Mercury in Cancer in the 4th House  
Venus in Gemini in the 3rd House  
Mars in Libra in the 7th House  
Jupiter in Gemini in the 3rd House  
Saturn in Leo in the 5th House  
Uranus in Aquarius in the 11th House – Born during a Uranus Retrograde  
Neptune in Leo in the 5th House  
Pluto in Cancer in the 4th House  
Natal Moon Phase is the Last Quarter Moon

**Major Placements**

**Sun in Cancer**  
Steve has his Sun in Cancer in the 4th House. According to Chani Nicholas, your Sun is “your identity;” Cancer has a “caring and emotive style;” and the 4th house has to do with themes of “parents, home, and foundations” (“Birth Chart”). It makes so much sense, too, because we all know that underneath all the spit and vinegar, Steve Rogers really _is_ a sweet, sensitive bb. That’s what motivates him to be so full of spit and vinegar in the first place. Going by my experiences with the beloved Cancers in my life, he probably also shares the tendency to retract into his own shell when things get to be a bit too much. Additionally, he’s got a sassy edge that can easily turn savage when pushed too far, and this can often obscure the truth of his sensitive nature.

 **Moon in Taurus**  
Steve’s Moon is in Taurus in the 2nd House. According to Chani Nicholas, your Moon is “your body;” Taurus has a “grounded and stabilizing style;” and the 2nd house has to do with themes of “one’s assets, resources, and livelihood” (“Birth Chart”). It’s no wonder, then, that Steve is so stubborn. It’s a common trait for Tauruses. In terms of the Moon and the 2nd house, we know that before the supersoldier serum, Steve was often limited by his body due to being a person with chronic illness. After the serum, however, he literally earns his livelihood with his body. 

The Moon is the queen of the night. She shines in the dark, so this placement houses all of Steve’s secret needs and desires, his hidden qualities that only those who know him most intimately get to see. Tauruses don’t just provide grounding and stability, they need it, too. This suggests that underneath Steve’s fiery exterior, which is most on display through his Rising Sign, he desires comfort, nourishment, groundedness, and a safe place to call home (especially combined with Cancer Sun).

 **Rising Sign (aka Ascendant) in Aries ruled by Mars in Libra in the 7th House**  
Steve’s Rising Sign, also known as an Ascendant, is in Aries. According to Chani Nicholas, your Rising Sign is “your motivation for living life” and Aries has an “action oriented style” (“Birth Chart”). Additionally, your Ascendant Ruler is “the direction your life is steered” and determines “how you take action;” Libra has a “accommodating and justice-oriented style;” and the 7th house has to do with themes of “committed partnerships” (Nicholas “Birth Chart”).

This is so obviously aligned with Steve’s essential character that I feel like I don’t even need to elaborate very much. Steve’s motivation for living life is ruled by Mars - “The Warrior” - and tempered by Libra, a cardinal sign that “initiates relationships, seeking balance, harmony, and justice” (Nicholas, _Your Were Born for This_ 20). This underscores Steve’s commitment to fighting because he “doesn’t like bullies.” It also reflects the level of dedication and loyalty he gives to all of the most important people in his life. He fights not for the violence of it, but because he is action-oriented and he can’t tolerate injustice and instability. And once he’s committed, be that to a person or a decision, he gives everything he’s got.

 **Saturn in Leo**  
Steve’s Saturn is in Leo in the 5th house. According to Chani Nicholas, your Saturn is “how and where you create boundaries;” Leo has a “expressive and entertaining style;” and the 5th house has to do with themes of “children, creative projects, sex, and pleasure” (“Birth Chart”). Unfortunately, Saturn in Leo is in its “detriment” which means that this is a “sign where a planet feels uncomfortable – here it will have to work twice as hard to do its job, pushing us to stretch and grow in ways we wouldn’t otherwise” (Nicholas, _You Were Born for This_ 25). Saturn is known as “The Taskmaster” ( _You Were Born for This_ 20). Leo is a fixed sign that “harnesses the power of the persona” and “stabilizes a warm and entertaining persona in hopes of gaining attention and having its creative self-expression witnessed” ( _Your Were Born for This_ 25-26).

Steve’s Saturn is in Leo, which is not a very comfortable combination. Saturn demands discipline, which is often a Leo’s worst nightmare if the discipline that is expected does not leave room for their enthusiastic and expressive nature to grow. Steve’s Saturn Return, then, might involve themes such as reclaiming his agency through self-expression, exploring his connection to his sexuality, and understanding his relationship to pleasure. He is undergoing this process while existing within the rigid confines of poverty, war, and 1940s-era Western society. This forces him into a dichotomy of visibility/invisibility. He must learn how to balance the expression of his Captain America persona in order to meet the needs and desires of the Steve Rogers who exists outside of that mantle. It’s interesting to consider the fact that Steve has two key people in his life at this time - Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter. Either one of them, or both of them, could be a romantic interest, but it is only a straight relationship that can be explicitly acknowledged. The potential for a bisexual or gay relationship must always remain hidden. This same dichotomy can be applied in other ways, such as considering Steve’s visible identity as a soldier versus his hidden identity as an artist, the expression of his hyper-masculinity as Captain America versus Steve Rogers’ own gender expression, and the tension that comes with being a human being who is labeled a hero.

**My Thoughts**  
Steve’s entire story revolves around recurring themes of loss, his inability to take action, and then later, his ability to take successful action. He is primarily motivated by relationships and by the need for justice and stability. In his early life, he was physically limited from achieving everything he wanted to achieve in regard to his primary motivations. His transformation into Captain America gives him the ability to provide stability for the people he cares about, but it does not necessarily equip him to provide that for himself. That is why relationships are so important to him. He needs the interplay of love and affection in order to truly feel grounded in place.

Steve loses both of his parents early on – his father to WWI and later, his mother to tuberculosis. After his mother passes, it’s his best friend, Bucky, who helps him re-establish a sense of home and foundation. This is interrupted when Bucky ships off to Europe to fight in WWII. This is one of the main motivating factors that causes Steve to agree to become a test subject for _Project Rebirth_. His home and foundation are no longer located in New York City but in Europe, with Bucky Barnes.

Even though Steve successfully emerges from the _Project Rebirth_ experiment as a supersoldier, he is rejected by his CO, Colonel Phillips. A senator named Brandt jumps at the chance to recruit Steve for fund-raising shows, giving birth to the persona of Captain America. Brandt tells Steve that this is work that will help win the war, and so Steve latches on to it. He doesn’t have a solid enough foundation underneath him at this point to make a better decision - one that resonates with who he really is as a person. And he certainly isn’t in a position to stand up to Phillips and advocate for himself as a soldier. Becoming Captain America the performer is entirely a choice that is made while Steve is floundering to find his sense of home and foundation without Bucky.

When Steve finally makes it to Europe and finds out that Bucky might have been killed in the Battle of Azzano in Italy, he immediately decides to go and rescue the portion of the 107th Infantry Regiment that remains behind enemy lines. He isn’t able to take action on this decision alone, though. Peggy Carter helps him. This is the first hint that Peggy Carter could potentially become another person in Steve’s life who can help him establish a sense of home and a foundation. She is someone who saw him for who he truly was from the moment she first met him, just like Bucky did. Steve’s interaction with her prior to receiving the news about Azzano helps him reconnect to who he truly is and snap out of the fugue he has been in since he started performing as Captain America.

When Steve decides to go behind enemy lines, he makes the shift from floundering to finding his own ground to stand on. Being faced with the potentially permanent loss of Bucky, he is forced to build his own foundation for himself. He re-commits to being the person he has always known himself to be – Steve Rogers the warrior - and he takes action to make that commitment a reality by transforming his identity as “Captain America the performer” into “Captain America the soldier.” This enables him to find Bucky and rescue him, re-establishing their relationship and the foundations that it helped to build. It’s the first step Steve takes towards working through the challenges that are coming his way via his first Saturn Return.

When Bucky “dies” two years later, during their mission to capture the HYDRA scientist Armin Zola, Steve is once again thrown off balance. Steve’s initial progress in his Saturn Return happened because he stepped into his identity as “Captain America the soldier.” His experiences with the Howling Commandos, while dynamic in action, likely didn’t afford him much of a chance for personal development outside of that. So in the two years after Steve rescued Bucky, Steve Rogers stagnated while Captain America flourished. With Bucky gone, there is no one left who knows Steve before the shield, and the oldest and sturdiest aspects of Steve’s foundation crumble underneath him.

It’s Bucky who has always helped Steve grow, both directly and indirectly. It’s Bucky who could have helped Steve separate himself from the Captain America identity and grow beyond it. Peggy starts to take on a similar role in Steve’s life, but Steve has only known her for two years at this point, in a relationship likely built during brief intervals in-between missions. She may have known him briefly as “Steve Rogers before the shield” - enough to get an idea of who he really was - but that can’t compare to how long Bucky knew Steve before he became Captain America.

Shortly after losing Bucky, Steve sacrifices himself in order to crash Johann Schmidt’s bomber plane into the Arctic ice. It’s an epic no-win scenario worthy of the best mythological tragedy. Logistically, there are nuclear bombs on board and the plane is stuck on auto-pilot and headed for New York City. Astrologically, Steve has reached an impasse, unable to act on any desire to move forward with his life. He’s already lost Bucky, and now he’s losing Peggy, too. Though he doesn’t know it at the time, he’s engaging in what has the potential to be one of the biggest and most dramatic do-overs ever. It’s the last and final step toward a rebirth that began with _Project Rebirth_ , and it is exactly in line with what a Saturn Return is all about, albeit pumped up to exaggerated superheroic proportions.

Unfortunately, the 21st century isn’t much kinder to Steve. We find him in suspended animation, trapped within the challenging aspects of his Saturn Return and unable to move forward. Reborn directly into his identity of Captain America, he has neither Bucky nor Peggy around to help him build a new foundation for his life. Though Peggy is still alive, she herself has become ensnared in the past by virtue of her Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. Though Bucky comes back into Steve’s life, the connection between them has been compromised, diminished, and swept under the rug. Whatever potential there had been for Steve to flourish, either with Bucky or Peggy or both, is now gone. We see him befriending Natasha Romanov and Sam Wilson, but they never knew “Steve before the shield,” so that isn’t enough to propel him forward.

After that, I would argue that Steve becomes permanently obscured behind the persona of Captain America, even when he stops wearing the stars and stripes and goes for the stealth suit. There is no more “Steve before the shield,” so we don’t really get to see how he evolves through and beyond his first Saturn Return. By the time we get to _Endgame_ , we see Bucky coming back into his own (in an frustratingly limited way), but Steve misses the opportunity to rekindle their deep friendship, or their subtextual-but-very-nearly-textual romance. We see Sam come into his own as Steve’s new best friend and partner, more than ready to take on the mantle of Captain America, but Steve doesn’t pass it on until much later in his own life. And don’t even get me started on Natasha, who I know is more important to Steve’s life and storyline than the MCU ever gave her a chance to be. Even when Steve breaks his shield while fighting Thanos, in what could be a potentially symbolic moment that propels him forward outside of his identity of Captain America, it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Instead, in a strange sort of retrograde movement (way beyond my expertise to even try to get into that) Steve leaves everything and everyone he knows behind (yet again, and this time by choice) to go be with Peggy in the past.

The problem here isn’t that Steve went to be with Peggy. (I may be a Stucky shipper primarily, but I have room in my heart for other pairs and OT3s, 4s, 5s...) The problem is that Peggy has also become a weird stagnant version of herself by the time we see her again in _Endgame_. She’s flat and voiceless, lacking power and agency, and seems to exist only to fulfill Captain America’s nostalgic fantasies. Apparently, Steve lives a whole other life with her, which may or may not involve him continuing to be Captain America, and then he returns seventy-eight or so years later to pass the mantle on to Sam. We are permanently denied the chance to see Steve Rogers work through the challenges of his first Saturn Return. Instead, he disappears behind Captain America and by the time he comes back, we barely even recognize him anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> **Works Cited**
> 
> “Saturn Return.” _Wikipedia_ , <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_return>.
> 
> Nicholas, Chani. _You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance._ HarperCollins, 2020.
> 
> Nicholas, Chani. “Birth Chart.” _[ChaniNicholas.com](https://chaninicholas.com/)_. [chart.chaninicholas.com](https://chart.chaninicholas.com/).


End file.
